Toaster



Oct. 26, 1954 H. OLSON ET AL.

TOASTER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. l5, 1951 Q ml@ m www hw QQ my@ A@INVENTOR5- Oct. 26, 1954 H. L. OLSON ET Al.

TOASTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. l5, 1951 u@ @SWW 5% gag/Mw Oct. 26,1954 H. 1 OLSON ET AL TOASTER Filed Deo. 15, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct.26, 1954 H. L. OLSON ET AL 2,692,549

ToAsTER Filed Dec. 15, 1951 4 sheets-sheet 4 extending end plate 25, asshown in Figures 1 and 2. This frame plate has out-turned feet 21 and 28which extend across and have their ends connected to the lower casingmember The interior mechanism is thus removable as a unit from thehousing by taking out the connecting screws which are not shown. Thehousing supports a plurality of generally similar heating elements whichconsists in resistance wire wound on mica, as is customary in the art.The bread is placed down between the pairs of heating elements, beingspaced from the elements by the usual crimped wires such as indicated at32.

A linkage is provided for raising and lowering the toast, this linkagebeing so connected that it is operable from either end of the toaster.The right operating lever 34 extends through the center of the toasterbetween the intermediate heating elements and has its left end pivotedat 35 to the left end portion 25 of the frame member. Similarly theleft-hand operating lever 31 extends through parallel and adjacent tothe lever 34 and is pivoted at 33 to the right end 23 of the frame. Thetwo levers are connected by pin and slot arrangement, as indicatedgenerally at 40, by means of which downward movement of one lever causessimilar downward movement of the other lever. The mechanism alsoincludes a pair of intermediate levers 42 and 43, the ends of which arepivoted at 44 and 45 to the righthand frame member 23. The opposite endsof these levers pass through the vertical slot 41 shown in Figures 5 and6 in the left end frame member 25 and are pivotally connected to a yoke49. These intermediate levers, due to their parallel movement, cause theyoke 49 to move upwardly and downwardly parallel to the surface of theframe member 25. The movement of these intermediate levers and the yokeis caused by connecting link 50 which has its lower end pivotallyconnected at 5| to the right-hand main lever 34 and its upper endpivotally connected at 53 to the lower intermediate lever 43. Theactuating spring 55 has its lower end connected at 56 to the operatinglever 31 and its upper end connected at 51 to a bracket 59 extendinglaterally from the left frame member 25. This spring 55 is a tensionspring and normally maintains the parts in the position shown in Figurel. Bread carriers 90, such as shown in Figure l, extend inwardly fromyoke 49 to support the slices between the heating elements.

The mechanism for causing the release of the latch for holding the breadsupporting mechanism down is spring actuated, the spring 6| operatingagainst the tension of the wires 63 and 65 which are elongated by heatradiated from a slice of bread placed adjacent said wires. It will benoted from Figures l and 2 that these wires 63 and 65 replace two of theusual crimped wires 32 for keeping the bread spaced from the heatingelements 30.

The control support frame member 61 is generally U-shaped in horizontalcross section and is secured to and projects outwardly from the rightend plate member 23. It also has an integral arm extending inwardly ofthe plate 23, this arm having an upwardly extending ear 59. The pivotedarm 1| is pivotally secured at 13 to the inner portion of control frame61. This pivoted arm 1| has a right arm portion 15 extending outwardlythrough an opening in a link 11 which is secured to the frame member 61by a rivet at 19. This link 11 is preferably formed of some materialsuch as brass which has a higher coeicient of expansion than the steelof which the frame member 61 is formed. It will be understood that theparticular materials used may be varied, the important feature beingthat the link 11 has a greater co-eftlcient of expansion than the frame61 to which it is secured. The pivoted support arm 1| carries adjacentits left end, a short lever 8| mounted on a pivot 83 on the arm 1|. Theupper end of the actuating wire 65 is secured at the left end of lever8| while the upper end of wire 63 is secured at the right end of thesame lever. It is to be noted that there is a 2 to 1 ratio between thesearms, the left end supporting wire 65 being longer.

The lower end of wire 63 is connected at 85 to the left end of a movablerelease member or lever 81 preferably pivotally supported from the lowerportion of the control frame 61 at 89. The right end 90 of this lever 81has a horizontally extending ear 9| which is engaged by the upper end ofthe adjusting screw 93. This adjusting mechanism will be described indetail hereinafter. It will be noted, however, that the point ofconnection at between the wire 63 and the arm 81 serves as a xedstarting point for the movable linkages connected by the wire 63, thepivoted lever 8|, and the wire 65. The lower end of wire 65 is connectedat 95 to the left end of the release lever 91. This release lever 91 ispivoted at 98 on a iixed arm |00 which extends rearwardly from thecontrol frame member 61. This release lever 91 extends to the rightbeyond the control frame member 61 and has a bifurcated end with a shortlower ear |0| and an upwardly extending arm |03, which arm has alaterally extending end portion |05, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Thelatch release spring 6| has its lower end connected at |06 to the lowerportion of this arm |03 of release lever 91. The upper end of thisspring 6| is connected at |01 to an out-turned end of the link 11. Itwill be understood, however, that the connection at this point is merelyfor purposes of convenience, it only being essential that the spring beattached to a xed portion of the end frame so as to impart a tensionwhich tends to raise the right end of lever 91.

Referring next to Figures 3 and 4, these figures show the latchmechanism in the Oi and On position, respectively. The snap spring |05is secured to an extension |06 of the frame member 61 and is providedwith an upturned end |00 which serves as a kick-off for the latch. Theportion of the spring |05 immediately adjacent the upturned end |08passes through the bifurcated end of the release lever 91 above thelower ear |0I and below the upper portion adjacent the arm |03. Thespring |05 is provided with a wellknown type of snap-over deviceincluding an arcuate spring ||0 so that once it passes over center, itis suddenly snapped in either direction.

The latch holding member l2 is pivoted at |3 on the lower face of theframe member 81. Its movement is limited by an upwardly extending lug |4coacting with a stop pin H5 mounted on member 61. The left end of thelatch holding lever ||2 extends over above the upturned portion |08 ofthe member |05 and with the member |05 in its upper position, the partsare as shown in Figure 3. The right end of the lever |2 is provided witha pin I6 to which is secured one end of a tension coil spring ||1. Theopposite end of spring ||1 is secured to a pin ||8 which extends fromthe latch lever |20. This lever |20 has a lower end |2| which engages aface of the lug ||4 of the latch holding lever H2 and limits clockwisemovement of the latch lever |20. The latch lever |20 is pivotallysupported at |23 on the frame member 61. The upper portion of the latchlever |20 has a holding hook at |25 and adjacent and below that hook isa V- shaped recess |21. The left side of this recess |21 is formed by asecond upwardly extending arm |29 of lever |20.

The manual release member |30, best shown in Figures 1 and 2, ispivotally supported at |32 on the right operating lever 34. This manualrelease lever has a laterally extending ear |34 which overlies the upperedge of the operating lever 34. It is provided with an overcenteroperating hairpin or U-shaped spring |36 adapted to either hold therelease lever in position with the portion |34 engaging the upper edgeof operating lever 34 or in the alternative with this portion 34 spacedabove the lever 34. The purpose of this is that in the downwardposition, as best shown in Figure l, the lower end |38 of lever |30 isinclined inwardly so that this end |38 will engage the upper face of thelatch holding lever ||2 to swing the latch holding lever ||2 in theclockwise direction which permits spring ||1 to rotate the latch |20 inthe clockwise direction to move the latch hook |25 clear of the portion|34 and thus clear of the right operating lever 34. This, then, permitsthe operating lever to move upwardly under the influence of the spring55 at the opposite end of the toaster.

This upward movement is cushioned by the dash pot |40 which contains apiston operated by rod |42, the lower end of which is connected at |43to the right operating lever 34. As the operating lever 34 movesupwardly, the inner face of the lower portion |38 of the latch releaselever 30 engages the outer face of the arm |23 of the latch lever |20which forces it outwardly and snaps the manual release lever |30 to theouter position in which it is shown in Figure 1. Thus, when the lever 34is moved downwardly upon insertion of a piece of to-ast the latchrelease lever |30 is in such position that its lower end |38 does notengage latch holding lever ||2 to prevent proper latching of the lever34 in the downward position.

For purposes of convenience in assembly and in operation, a removableoperating arm |45 is attached to each of the operating levers 34 and 31.This member |45 has a laterally extending portion |46 with an openingsuch as to t over the end of the lever 34 or 31 and is provided with alug |48 litting in a corresponding perforation in the end of the lever34 or 31 so that it is rigidly connected as an extension to the lever.The members |45 pass through narrow slots |50 and in the end closureplates |2 and |3, respectively. These narrow slots prevent lateralmovement in the members |45 such as to disengage the lugs |48 after theparts are assembled. Finger pieces |53 are secured on the ends of themembers |45 by set screws |55.

The switch for closing the heating circuit is shown in Figuresl, 2, 5and 6, being located in the left end of the assembly, as shown inFigures l and 2. A pair of contacts |60 and |6| are carried by aninsulating member |64 supported on a. bracket |65 extending from theleft main frame member 25. These contacts |60 and |6| are connected frombelow to two wires |61 and |63. Wire |61 may extend to a usual appliancecord and the other wire |68 to the 'heating elements. The oppositeterminal of the heating elements will be provided with va wire whichwill be parallel with wire |61 in the connecting appliance cord. Thespecic details of these connections form no part of the presentinvention. The

switch bridging contact |10 is carried on an insulating member |12supported on the end of a spring arm |14, the opposite end of which issecured at |15 to a bracket |16. This bracket |16 is also secured to theend frame member 25. A spring depressing finger |10 is riveted to theleft main lever 31 and extends downwardly so that when the lever 31 ismoved downwardly, this finger |10 engages spring |14 to depress thespring, as shown in Figure 6. This causes the bridging contact |10 tobridge a circuit across contacts |60 and |6| to close the heatingcircuit.

It will be apparent that the wires 63 and 65, when at room temperature,will be of such .a length as to pull up on the left end of the releaselever 01 causing its right end with ear |0| to be swung downwardly. Thispermits the snap member |05 to be moved to its lower position with theear |0| below the member (Figure 4). When a piece of bread is insertedin the side of the toaster carrying the operating assembly includingwires 63 and 65, the bread will be closely adjacent or in contact withthese wires. The nger piece |53 at either end of the toaster may bedepressed and the bread carrier 60 carried by yoke 49 will movedownwardly carrying the bread to a lower position where it is fullyenclosed within the toaster. As this downward movement takes place, thelower edge of the right operating lever 34 will press against the rightface of the arm |20 of the latch |20 swinging that latch in thecounter-clockwise di-rection so that the latch hook |25 rests on top ofthe lateral portion |34 of the latch release member |30. Since thisportion |34 is forced into contact with the upper edge of lever 34 thehook will serve to hold the lever down. The spring ||`1 tends to rotatethe latch |20 in the clockwise direction. Its other end, however, isattached to the latch holding lever |2 and tends to move that in thecounter-clockwise direction. Since the latch |20 is momentarily heldagainst movement by contact with the lower edge of lever 34 the springacts to rotate the latch holding member ||2 in the counter-clockwisedirection until the edge of the lug |40 engages stop pin |5. At thispoint the right edge of member ||2 is in front of the lower end of thelatch |20 and holds that latch in latched position. It will be apparentthat since the arm |08 of member |05 is in its lower position, there isno restraint against movement of the latch holding member I2 in thecounterclockwise direction. The snap-over knock oi |05 is also cocked inthis position ready to snap over when lifted past center by the ear |0|.

The parts are thus latched in the lower position with the bread intoasting position and the downward movement of the left lever 31 hasclosed the switch, as shown in Figure 6, so that the heating elementsbegin to heat up. Heat is radiated to the bread which begins to toast.Also, heat is radiated from the bread surface or transmitted by contactto the wires 63 and 65. T-hese wires expand or lengthen under theiniiuence of the heat.

It may be noted at this point that heat is, of course, also radiated towires 63 and 65 by the adjacent heating element. The controlling factorin the operation, however, is the additional heat radiated ortransmitted by contact from the bread surface, The parts are socalibrated that this additional heat serves to control the actuation ofthe toaster.

By way of example and not by way of limitation,

in an actual toaster constructed in accordance with the drawings, it hasbeen found that the wire 63 will expand or lengthen according to thetemperature of the toast approximately .004 inch. The pivoted member 8|has a 2 to 1 ratio so that with the lower end of wire 63 xed, thisexpansion of wire 63 will permit the left end of member 8| or the upperend of wire 65 to move downwardly .O08 inch. The wire B5 is identicalwith wire 63 and will have an additional .004 inch expansion. Thispermits a total downward movement of the left end of lever 91 of .012inch. Lever 9| has an 8 to l ratio so that the bifurcated end of thatlever, where it engages the snap acting knock-o member will haveapproximately 3/ 452 of an inch movement. Thus, as the heat of the breadsurface is raised, the wires 53 and 65 expand and the levers swing inthe directions just described. The right end of lever Sl is drawnupwardly by spring 6I which acts to move that end of the lever aspermitted by the expansion of the wires.

When the lever 91 has reached such a point that the lower ear |ll| ofthe lever moves the snap acting knock-off member |05 past center, thespring H0 gives it a quick snap action moving its upturned end |08sharply upward. The upper edge of member |08 hits against the lower faceof the left end of the latch holding lever H2, swinging that lever inthe clockwise direction about its pivot H3. This movement causes therelease of the lower end |2| of the latch |20 and spring Ill' swings thelatch to the position shown in Figure 3. This releases the rightoperating lever 34 and the spring 55 raises the parts to the positionshown in Figure l. This lifts the upper portion of the toast to a pointabove the upper surface of the toaster where it can be grasped by thengers. It will be apparent that this upward movement also moves finger|18 away from switch spring VM so that the heating circuit is opened.

If, at any time, during a heating or toasting cycle it is desired torelease the catch so that the mechanism will operate under the influenceof spring 55 to raise the bread, this may be accomplished by a shortdownward movement of either finger piece |53. This movement, aspreviously described, will cause the latch release member |30 to move sothat its lower end |33 engages the upper end of the right end of thelatch holding lever l2 to rotate that lever in the rection sufficientlyto release the latch E20.

After this manual release has been used the latch release member willmove again to its open or inoperative position on the upward movementupon release. It will remain in its open or inoperative position untilthe main lever S, or lever 3l has again been depressed and locked at thebottom of its stroke. When the main latch |29 closes at the end of thisstroke and pressure is removed from lever 34, or lever 3l, the upwardforce of spring 55 forces lever 36 upwardly and portion |34 of releaselever |30 is swung downwardly about pivot |32, swinging the lower end|38 of leverinwardly to its closed or operative position as shown inFigure 2. Thus the manual release is always in operative position whenthe parts are latched downwardly during a toasting operation.

It will be apparent that the control wires 63 and 65 carry no current,but are controlled entirely as to their expansion by heat which theyreceive by radiation or by contact. Consequently, the operation of thetoaster is entirely independent of any variations in the line voltageapplied to the toaster. The same is true, of course, as to widevariations in the line power factor of the clockwise di- -8 electricalsupply to the toaster. The toast will also be uniform regardless of themoisture content of the bread being toasted. If the bread is moist, thedrying off of the moisture will have a cooling effect on the controlwires so that the toasting cycle will be properly prolonged and willadequately and uniformly toast the bread after eX- cess moisture isdriven out.

Also, the toaster, as designed, will operate uniformly throughoutconsecutive toasting cycles. The frame member 6".' will increase inheight as the toaster gradually heats up, this member being made ofsteel in the preferred form. This increase in height would have theeffect of modifying the actuation of the toaster were no compensationprovided. The expansion would be in the opposite direction to theoperating expansion of the wires desired, in that it would raise theupper ends of the wires. To take care of this, the upper end of thewires are supported from the pivoted arm 'H which is supported from theframe member 5l. The short end 15 of this arm ll, however, extendsthrough the compensating link 11 which may be formed of brass. Thismember 'il will expand to a greater extent than member 6l so that as thepivot 13 moves upwardly, the right end 'l5 of the arm 1| moves upwardlymore rapidly than the pivot. The ratio of the two arms of the member '1|is such as to properly compensate for the expansion of the support frame67. The toasting cycle will thus be uniform regardless of thetemperature of the interior of the toaster and of the frame member 5l.It will be understood that various materials may be used for the frame6l and for the compensating member 'l1 and that the lever arms providedfor the members l'I which will be dependent upon the ratios of expansionof the members G1 and TI.

It has been pointed out that the screw S3 served to raise or lower theright end S of lever 8l so as to adjust for the desired darkness orlightness of toast. This screw may be adjusted from below by a screwdriver engaging the head |80. Means are also provided for manualadjustment of the character of the toast while the toaster is in use.These means comprise a long lever |82 pivoted at the center of theunderface of the toaster mechanism with ends of lthe lever extendingoutwardly at each end of the toaster. These ends carry operating knobs|84 held in place by screws |85. This color control bar |82 is connectedby link |81 to a long arm |88 of a U-shaped member 89 which is fittedabout the screw 93 so that the screw passes through both legs of themember. This member |89 engages screw 93 with sufficient frictionalforce so that movement of the color control bar |82 will, through link|31, swing the member |88 and turn the screw 93 to vary the screwadjustment. This frictional contact is not, however, great enough toprevent rotation of the screw 93 by a screw driver without disturbingthe adjustment of the color Control bar.

While we have shown certain preferred embodiments of our invention, itwill be understood these are illustrative only and that variousmodifications may be made to take care of differing conditions andrequirements. We, therefore, contemplate such variations as come withinthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an automatic toaster or the like, a toasting oven, a movablecarrier for supporting bread in the oven, spring means normally holdingthe carrier in upper position, latch mechanism for holding the carrierin lower toasting position, heat sensitive means located adjacent thetoasting position of the bread, said means being adapted tol elongatewhen heated by heat derived from the bread surface, a linkagemultiplying the elongation of the heat sensitive means, and normallyinoperative latch release means, said release being permitted to operateupon elongation of the heat sensitive means during a toasting cycle,said latch mechanism comprising a, release lever pivoted at anintermediate point, the heat sensitive means and the multiplying linkagehaving one end connected to an adjustable lever, means for adjustingsaid lever to vary the position of said end of the heat sensitive meansand the multiplying linkage, the other end of the heat sensitive meansbeing connected to said release lever at one side of its pivot, atension spring connecting the portion of the release lever at the otherside of its pivot to a xed portion of the apparatus to tension the heatsensitive means and ro- -tate the lever about its pivot upon expansionof the heat sensitive means, and means operatively associated with therelease lever to release the latch upon said rotation of the releaselever.

2. In an automatic toaster or the like, a toasting oven, a movablecarrier for supporting bread in the oven, spring means normally holdingthe carrier in upper position, latch mechanism for holding the carrierin lower toasting position, heat sensitive means located adjacent thetoasting position of the bread, said means being adapted to elongatewhen heated by heat derived from the bread surface, a linkagemultiplying the elongation of the heat sensi-tive means, and normallyinoperative latch release means, said release being permitted to operateupon elongation of the heat sensitive means during a toasting cycle,said latch release means comprising a release lever pivoted at anintermediate point, the heat sensitive means and the multiplying linkagehaving one end connected to a point in the structure immovable duringthe operation of the apparatus, the other end thereof being connected tosaid release lever at one side of its pivot, a tension spring connectedto the release lever at the other side of the pivot and acting totension the heat sensitive means and rotate the lever upon expansion ofthe heat sensitive means, a-nd a snap-acting toggle associated with therelease lever to be snapped to release position by a predeterminedmovement of the release lever to thereby release the latch.

3. In an automatic toaster or the like, a frame, a toasting oven, amovable carrier for supporting bread in the oven, spring means normallyurging the carrier to upper position, latch means for holding thecarrier in lower toasting position, an elongated heat sensitive memberlocated in the oven adjacent the toasting position of the bread, apivoted arm supporting one end of the elongated member, the arm beingpivoted at an intermediate point, a metallic frame member supporting thepivot, the end of the elongated member being connected to one end of thearm, a metallic link connected to the frame and having a free endengaging the other end of the pivoted arm, the metallic frame member andthe metallic link being formed of different metals whereby elongation ofthe link compensates for elongation of the frame member, a pivoted latchrelease lever pivotally supported on the frame and having one endconnected to the second end of the elongated heat sensitive member, andlatch release means put in operation upon predetermined elongation ofthe elongated member by means of the second end of the pivoted latchrelease member.

. 4. In an automatic toaster or the like, a frame,

a toasting oven, a movable carrier for support- 102'A ing bread in theoven, spring means normally urging the carrier to upper position, latchmeans for holding the carrierA in lower toasting position, an elongatedheat sensitive member located in the 'oven adjacent lthe toastingposition of the bread, a pivoted arm supporting one end of the elongatedmember, the arm being pivoted at an intermediate point, a metallic framemember supporting the pivot, the end of the elon- `gated member beingconnected to one end of the arm, a metallic link connected to the frameand having a free end engaging the other end of the pivoted arm, themetallic frame member and the metallic link being formed of steel andbrass respectively whereby elongation of the link compensates forelongation of the frame member, a pivoted latch release lever pivotallysupported on the frame and having one end connected to the second end ofthe elongated heat sensitive member, and latch release means put inoperation upon predetermined elongation of the elongated member by meansof the second end of the pivoted latch release member.

5. In an automatic toaster or the like, a toasting oven, a movablecarrier for supporting bread in the oven, spring means normally holdingthe carrier in upper position, latch mechanism for holding the carrierin lower toasting position, heat sensitive means located adjacent thetoasting position of the bread, said means being adapted to elongatewhen heated by heat derived from the bread surface, a linkagemultiplying the elongation of the heat sensitive means, and normallyinoperative latch release means, said release means being permitted tooperate upon elongation of the heat sensitive means during `a, toastingcycle, said latch mechanism comprising a pivoted release lever, the heatsensitive means and the multiplying linkage having one end connected toan adjustable lever, means for adjusting said lever to vary the positionof said end of the heat sensitive means and the multiplying linkage, theother end of the heat sensitive means being connected to said releaselever at one side of its pivot, a spring connecting the release lever toa fixed portion of the apparatus to tension the heat sensitive means androtate the lever about its pivot upon expansion of the heat sensitivemeans, and means operatively associated with the release lever torelease the latch upon rotation of the release lever.

6. In an automatic toaster or the like, a toasting oven, a movablecarrier for supporting bread in the oven, spring means normally holdingthe carrier in upper position, latch mechanism for holding the carrierin lower toasting position, heat sensitive means located adjacent thetoasting position of the bread, said means being adapted to elongatewhen heated by heat derived from the bread surface, a linkagemultiplying the elongation of the heat sensitive means, and normallyinoperative latch release means, said latch release means beingpermitted to operate upon elongation of the heat sensitive means duringla, toasting cycle, said latch release means comprising a movablerelease member, the heat sensitive means and the multiplying linkagehaving one end connected to a point in the structure normally immovableduring the operation of the apparatus, the other end thereof beingconnected to said release member, a spring connected to the releasemember and acting to tension the heat sensitive means and move therelease member upon expansion of the heat sensitive means, and asnap-acting toggle associated 11 with the release member to be snappedto release position by a, predetermined movement of the release memberto thereby release the latch.

References Cited in the le of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 954,682 Low et a1. Apr. 12, 1910 1,540,628 Hurxthal et a1.June 2, 1925 10 2,001,362 Ireland May 14, 1935 Numbe' 12 Name DateMcCullough Nov. 25, 1941 Myers Nov. 3, 1942 Parr Nov. 27, 1945 TaylorMar. 12, 1946 Sardeson Jan. 14, 1947 Robinson et a1. June 20, 1950 Olsonet a1. Apr. 10, 1951 Huck Oct. 9, 1951 Coons et a1. Mar. 4, 1952

